February 28 (TSP Bangla) – Swapna Barman, an Arjuna awardee and gold medallist at the 2018 Asian Games, joined the All India Trinamool Congress in Calcutta on Friday.
Barman, who hails from Jalpaiguri, formally took the party’s flag at the Trinamool office in the presence of state ministers Chandrima Bhattacharya and Bratya Basu, along with Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb.
Her entry into politics has triggered speculation that chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s party may field her from an Assembly seat in north Bengal in the upcoming state elections.
“I joined Trinamool to work for people. I am inspired by Mamata Didi, who has come up from the grassroots and has done a lot for Bengal. The array of welfare schemes that she has introduced is unprecedented. I feel it will be a wider platform for me to serve the people,” said Swapna at the joining ceremony.
Mukul Bairagya, chairman of the state Namasudra development board, had facilitated discussions between Barman and the party leadership and had hinted at her decision a day earlier.
“She is from a Rajbanshi family and has struggled for years to achieve success. From today, she will start her second innings,” said Bratya while welcoming her to the party.
Chandrima claimed that Trinamool is the “right place” for Swapna. “Her joining proves her confidence in Mamata Banerjee, who has put every effort to bring women to the front and is consistently working for their development, unlike the governments of some other states,” she said.
Political observers said the Trinamool Congress is banking on Swapna Barman, a popular face among the Rajbanshi community, to consolidate support among the group.
In recent elections, a sizeable section of Rajbanshi voters in north Bengal had backed the BJP, denting the Trinamool’s prospects in the region. The ruling party is now looking to regain lost ground and rebuild its support base ahead of the Assembly polls.
Basona, Swapna’s mother, said: “Over the past three to four months, she mulled over joining politics. Today (Friday), she has made her decision, and we want her to work for people,” said the mother.
“We have no idea whether she would contest the elections. But whoever the party fields in any of the seats of our district, we will strive to ensure the win of all candidates,” said Mahua Gope, the Jalpaiguri district Trinamool president.
BJP leaders were critical of her move. “She has made a wrong decision by joining Trinamool. The Centre has duly recognised her achievements. Unfortunately, she took such a step,” said Bapi Goswami, a state general secretary of the BJP based in Jalpaiguri.
